Dubai: Henrik Stenson successfully retained his title at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship with a two-shot win over world number one and Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose of England and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson in an exciting finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday.
Stenson, who was matched through the early afternoon by playing partner and 2012 Dubai Desert Classic winner Rafa Cabrera-Bello, broke off on the back nine to end the day with a 2-under par 70 and finish two shots clear of a chasing trio.
For most part of the afternoon, it looked like a two-way battle between Cabrera-Bello and Stenson. However, the competition took an amazing turn with Stenson bogeying on the eighth hole followed by a double bogey on the eleventh to leave the 30-year-old Spaniard two shots clear and sole leader.
But that is when the Spaniard melted as he bogeyed on the 12th even as McIlroy started upping the pressure with two successive birdies on the 14th and 15th to draw alongside Stenson at 14-under par, and within a shot of leader Cabrera-Bello.
Then followed a freefall from Cabrera-Bello as a double bogey on the 16th undid all his hard work, the Las Palmas resident slipping into joint fourth as McIlroy finished off his round with a four-under par 68 and tied on 274 with Rose and Dubuisson.
The 38-year-old Stenson made the best of his partner’s nervousness to finish off with a two-birdie flourish on the final two holes to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career. This was also the Swede’s first trophy of the 2014 season.
George O’Grady, CEO, European Tour was joined by Mohammad Sharaf, Group CEO, DP World in handing over the winner’s trophy to Stenson, after which Yousuf Kazim, General Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates and Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, Dubai Sports Council presented the Race to Dubai trophy to McIlroy.
The win also gave Stenson second place behind McIlroy in the Race to Dubai.
“I got off to a good start, but then kind of middle of the round, a few things didn’t go my way. But I was hanging in there fighting hard, and I got my reward in the end. If I would have dropped a couple of shots further back, I wouldn’t have been in that position to have a chance to finish strong and secure the title,” Stenson said.
The champion was convinced that it was a combination of his ball-striking ability and his mental strength that eventually took him over the line for a successful defence of his title.
“Of course, what goes on between the ears is a key factor in this game,” he said.
“A lot of times I managed to come through when I needed to. It’s not a guarantee that you’re always going to do it and certainly didn’t feel that when I was grabbing my 4 iron and that provisional ball on 11; it didn’t seem like it was a certainty. It’s a strong point [hitting the ball]. But yeah, we’ll keep it a tie between my ball striking when I’m good and hopefully my strength mentally.”
Finishing the season on a high for the second time running, Stenson admitted that he could do well by cutting down on a couple of tournaments for 2015.
“Yeah, hopefully a couple I can remove at some point, but it’s not the easiest,” he added.
“Like I said before, it’s a lot to do with a number of tournaments that I have to play on the PGA Tour and European Tour and then you have tournaments that you want to play and courses you like and other obligations and so on.
“So it’s a bit of a tricky one. I’m starting out with the Middle East swing, Abu Dhabi being a key tournament, having won the other ones in this part of the world; it would be nice to try and contend in Abu Dhabi and give myself a chance to win there as I came close a couple of times.
“That’s kind of where we’re starting the year with those three down here, and then I’ve got February off to prepare and rest and be at home in Florida. And then it’s really busy from the first week in March with Doral, which is my first one States side, all the way through the FedEx. It’s so much golf and that’s the time to be rested and practiced.
“So hopefully I can come into that patch a bit better prepared than I was this year. Any week where you can give yourself a chance to win is great, and the more chances you’re up there, the more times you will win. I’m looking forward to hopefully a strong season in 2015.”
McIlroy was disappointed he could not finish off the season a win after his triumph in the Race to Dubai.
“I never expected 14 under to have a remote chance of winning this golf tournament. It just seemed like no one really took the tournament by the scruff of the neck and went with it. I just didn’t play well enough to win this week, and if I had won by playing like that, it would have been a bit of a surprise,” McIlroy said.
